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I Forge Iron

OZ roll call


Dale Russell

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Hi everyone
Ive Been hiding in the background for some time now. and reading heaps I had only now found this thread and thourgh I better say Hello
My name is Allan and I live in Maryborough Vic. I have been interested in smithing since I was a kid.But never had the time/money/location/etc to make a start. have been reading alot about it, and have found one of my old teachers in town how wonts to teach me about it. draged out my graet grand dads anvil an forge out of the shed (Thanks Mum)and brought it home and have gathered some tools together. now I just need to make a workshop an learn how to Do it HaHa
cheers Allan

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Hi & welcome.

A smithy would be great, but not entirely necessary. Some of us (me included) work out of our garage - dragging everything out each time you want to forge get tiresome mind you.
Double-Edge2 has a smithy in his back garden with a few tarps slung overhead for shade / rain. One of the other members here has 3 Walls made from old oil drums, no roof.

Basically, you ideally want a nice gloomy spot for the forge so you can see the colours well, but it's not essential. Just get some metal hot & get hammering. :)

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Hi ratel10mm
I only need to build a shed/shelter, as my wife/family took over the only shed I had to use. but it want be flash. I have take your advice, and draged my gear into the back yard. heated up some steel and hammered it to deth. made a couple of hooks an a poker for the forge. not good looking but worked and my two youngest kids loved it. I will keep having a play
thanks allan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi my name is James Abbott, from Christchurch NZ, and i have been blacksmithing for the past 6 years (I'm 22 now). I was considering moving to Melbourne as many of my friends now live there after the quakes here in chch. I just want to know are there any opportunities for an apprenticeship in making wrought iron or at least if it is a
common thing. I currently work fabricating wrought iron from pre-forged components from china as well as the occasional hand forged job. Also I have my own workshop in my parents garage where i spend my spare time
making knives and smaller things like wine racks and the such. So are there many artist blacksmiths in Melbourne? Are they large businesses or small one smith operations?

Thanks in advance for your time.

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G'Day J.A
Firstly welcome ta the site .
N.Z , is enough of youse over here ta call youse an " AUSSIE " .. ;)


Apprenticeship , doubt it bloke , most shop's here i've seen use " trained monkeys " or " China " componant's to make stuff outta
. Plus the only place in OZ these days ta get any schooling is in NSW ( MOONY ( aka ) Glenn Moon bein' 1 of the TAFE teachers .
Forgemaster in Newcastle NSW " mite " be lookin' for a new apprentice , he's a IFI member but don't dabble in artist blacksmith stuff .

There are a lot of us " hobby smiths " around , also the ABA ( Vic ) at Bundoora & Mont DeLancy Historical Settlement at Wandin.

Hammer-in's , is this 1 in October .. post 309

http://www.iforgeiro..._moony__st__300

Dale Russell

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Welcome J.A. !
Melbourne is well provided for the hobby blacksmith- Sydney has nothing like Bundoora and Mont De Lancey facilities (ok, i'm just jealous so i reckon they are good); check out their web sites.
My favourite starting point for stalking blacksmiths in a particular locality is the good ol' Yellow Pages;
http://www.yellowpag...tro+VIC&x=0&y=0
..so that search is, 'Wrought Iron' in "Melbourne Metro Vic".
Then compare with 'blacksmith' eg;
http://www.yellowpag...de=LIST&x=0&y=0

enjoy,
AndrewOC

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Andrew , thanks for the Yellow Pages info , was gonna put em up meself , but figured J.A could look online for that himself .

Australian Blacksmiths Association (Vic) Inc. - Welcome

Mont De Lancey Blacksmithing Group

The 2 group's down here in Melbourne . I believe at Sovereign Hill Ballarat there is a group too , but don't hold me ta that :)

Matt , actually there are 3 , 2 in NSW , Richmond & Ultimo & 1 in Ipswich QLD .
RMIT here in Melbourne used to run a course , but it shut down awhile ago


Dale Russell

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Thanks for the replies, was just curious really.
Dale not really new to the site, been lurking for years absorbing information and learning.
Reckon at the very least I might have to jump the ditch to get hammered at Moody's. Whats the nearest international airport out of curiosity? might price up some flights.

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J.A.

Nearest International would be Sydney. Then about 3+ hour drive down from there. One of us would be able to pick you up on the way down I am sure. Or you could catch a flight from Sydney to Canberra and then an hour drive east from there. Not sure who could pick you up from Canberra.

Adam

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J.A , dependin' on the day you get in i could pick you up from Canberra airport on my way past ( it's not really , but 20 minutes extra on a 7 1/2 hr drive ain't gonna matter ) or i know a smith just outside of Canberra who mite if i ask " nicely " .. :)

As for cost from Christchurch to Canberra ....

http://travel.webjet...x=52&image.y=11

or Christchurch to Sydney

http://travel.webjet...x=52&image.y=11

Then catch a ride down with some 1 outta Sydney ( i'm sure we'll arrange a ride for you bloke )

Just some dates i picked outta the air bloke , u'd know better the time you ave ta come over

Dale Russell

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  • 1 month later...

just re found a book i thought id lost.a great read "for the smithy"a re print of 1912 mcphersons machinery and tool catalog.published by crown castleton publishers isbn 1 875342 24 9.(47 pages of joy) covers tools machines used in the blacksmith and and coachbuilders shops.well worth finding cost $20 a few years ago.i have no relation to book ect(hard to find this kind of oz stuff) mat.

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  • 5 months later...

Dale, the TAFE at Ipswich runs a blacksmith course. That one & the one where Moony lectures are the only 2 I know of at present. Ipswich, however, is no use to our new member being in Qld.


i did my apprenticeship in carole park, brisbane, and went to ipswich for tafe.
they dont run any blacksmithing there, although they want to, and keep saying they do, i had to do it at work to complete the blacksmithing modules....
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Thanks Phil, I have an enquiry from a chap at Cobar, Glenn Moon told me about the guy at Peek Hill in chat today, I shall give him the name and let him take it from there.
I have had another enquiry from an Anthony Cook at Cessnock, I told him he would be welcome to join us but he would be better off joining the coastal group, I gave him the phone numbers for Wayne Saunders and Colin Dray to follow up with.

There seems to be another surge of interest in blacksmithing again. cheers John.

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  • 1 month later...

hi , I'm from Pakenham Victoria, my name is Lee.. I have been in the fabrication game for the last 16 years ranging from cars,trucks and now prisons...Always loved old machinery, tools and of late the Blacksmith craft so hopefully there is someone out this way wanting to catch up and move some metal.
here are some pics of my first real attempt this wkend...

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post-25043-0-14087200-1335603894_thumb.j

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  • 1 month later...

Hi All Joined this side last week i live up in far north Queensland on the Atherton Tablelands .made my first candleholder in 1965 as a boilermaker apprentice in Germany.been here in OZ since1975 set up my shop in 1992 and been working fulltime at it since 1994 , love it ,looking for a larger hammer at the moment,as i have a shop in an industrial estate so noise is not an issue anymore .good to chat to other "locals" (Aus) cheers Hans

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